President Donald Trump said Monday he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to end the war in Ukraine, suggesting potential progress toward peace negotiations.

Trump made the remarks during a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the White House's Oval Office, which followed Friday's Russia-United States Alaska summit where Trump met with Putin.

"I believe Putin wants it to end," Trump stated during the meeting, adding that there's a "possibility that something could come out of Putin meeting."

The U.S. president hinted at potential three-way discussions, saying, "If everything works out well we'll have trilateral meeting — and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that." However, he cautioned that he "would not say it's the end of the road."

Despite the optimism, the president said he doesn't expect there to be a ceasefire.

The most significant sticking point is the land that Russia has occupied in fighting, which Ukraine wants back. The Russian leader reportedly wants Ukraine to hand over the remainder of the Donbas region to Moscow to end the war. Zelenskiy has previously rejected the idea of giving up territory.

"President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight," Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday, using an alternative transliteration of Zelensky's name.

Zelenskiy expressed gratitude to Trump, saying "Thank you Trump for your efforts" and emphasized the need to stop the conflict. The Ukrainian leader also indicated his readiness for "trilateral engagement."

Source: Investing.com